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Homemade Wood Floor Cleaner That Shines

The most recent trend when it comes to cleaners, detergents, and similar products is avoiding harsh chemicals. While these chemicals do a great job in cleaning, they can be toxic and hazardous to you and your family’s health.

It is good to know that you can use healthier and natural alternatives to keep your hardwood floors nice and shiny. Plus, if you do not have one of the products given in this article, you may have other ones you can use. That makes sure you go with the current trend.

To find out about some of those natural cleaners that are homemade and keep your wood floors looking great, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about.

Home Remedies to Make Hardwood Floors Shine

1. Warm Water, White Vinegar and Essential Oils

If you use vinegar in a reduced role, it is possible to apply it to your hardwood floors. The key is to not let the vinegar sit too long in one spot. If you do then you could lose your finish.

To keep vinegar to a minimum simply mix 1/2 cup of that liquid with 1 gallon of warm water. That should dilute the vinegar enough and keep it from harming your floors.

Once those two ingredients are mixed, add in about 3 drops of your favorite essential odors to kill that vinegar odor.

2. Dish Soap and Warm Water

If the ph balance in your dish soap is neutral, then it is okay to use this cleanser on your hardwood floor. All you have to do is add about 5 drops of this ingredient into a gallon of warm water and mix well.

The key here is to make sure your mop is only damp. As you know by now, water and wood do not mix. You do not want to put a lot of water on your hardwood floor or you begin the damaging process.

3. Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Water

Unfortunately, water is always going to be part of your homemade recipes. Just use it carefully. The olive oil will polish your wood floors while the lemon juice will add a nice scent.

To make this homemade option, just mix a gallon of hot water with 3/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Just be careful of the acidic nature of lemon juice and do not let it sit too long on the floor either.

 

How to Add Shine to Hardwood Floors

shiny hardwood floors in a beautiful modern home.

When your floors start to dull and unexciting, you have several options at your disposal to help bring the beauty back to them. The first is to use a little vinegar and water with about 2 tbsp. of olive oil to help polish that wood.

Next would be to use vegetable oil with the vinegar and water mixture. This product should replace the olive oil but still help polish your nice wood floors. Another option would be dish soap and water but you have to be careful here and make sure you go with the grain of the wood.

Of course, you can use a commercial cleanser made for hardwood floors. There are some very good products on the market today that do a great job.

How Do I Make My Hardwood Floors Shiny?

Bottles of floor cleaning products and cleaning rags sitting on hardwood floors.

The cleaners already mentioned will help make your wood floors look nice and shiny, but it is not just the cleaners that do all the work. The work and techniques you use will also contribute to a nice shiny floor.

The first thing you need to do is make sure you squeeze out as much excess moisture from your mop or cloth. Cotton materials retain too much water so using those items is not advisable.

The second duty you need to follow is to always mop or rub with the grain of the wood. You can spoil the look of your floors by ignoring that bit of advice. Then the last step you need to take is to dry the floor quickly so that the moisture does not ruin it and you leave no streaks behind.

How Do I Get My Hardwood Floors to Shine Without Wax?

Pink gloved hands pouring floor wax onto hardwood floors

The steps to this process are not hard to follow.

First, you need to empty the room of furniture and other items that sit on the floor.

Second, you need to clean the floor by sweeping the dirt away or vacuuming it by using the right attachment.

Third, you use one of the homemade cleansers already mentioned above. These will help bring your floors back to life and have them displaying their beauty in no time.

Fourth, after washing the floor, you will need to buff it and you can use a machine buffer if you want.

Finally, rub a little olive oil or vegetable oil mixed with vinegar over the floor then buff it until the floor shines.

Some Final Words

Avoiding harsh chemicals when restoring your hardwood floors to their original look is not hard. You have plenty of homemade ingredients you can use to make those floors shine. All it takes is a little more time to do.

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